Pastors and elected officials must find their voices and purpose in prayer to help the nation and the next generation heal and move forward from division, a keynote speaker told those gathered for a prayer breakfast Thursday.

“Whose voice makes a difference? Then what are we saying? Of course, bad news needs to be reported, but does it need to be repeated? No,” Laura Wallace, a Melbourne minister with Helps Ministry and executive director for Missions: America and Beyond.

“Let’s not bash our leaders ... let’s use our voices to declare the (kind of) Brevard County that we want,” Wallace told nearly 300 people attending the annual Space Coast Breakfast held at the Rialto Hilton-Melbourne.

Across the nation, community leaders, elected officials and neighbors gathered together — and in some cases, met around flagpoles or in front of government buildings — to mark the National Day of Prayer.

At the White House, President Donald J. Trump commemorated the occasion with members of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, the congregation targeted by a mass shooter in November. Twenty-six people were killed during a Sunday service at the church.

At the breakfast in Brevard, there were prayers for the nation’s leaders, school students, businesses and others. Many asked for divine guidance as the nation struggles through a number of controversies, from calls for gun reform and school safety to a cycle of troubles besetting the president.

“Prayer has deep roots in our nation’s history,” U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, told the Melbourne audience made up of differing political parties, denominations, and communities.

“Through prayer (our government) can move from one of division to one of beauty,” said Posey, a fixture at the yearly breakfast over the years.

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Community leaders, elected officials and pastors from various denominations gathered Thursday morning to offer up prayer for the nation and call for healing at the Space Coast Prayer Breakfast at the Rialto Hilton. Rev. Laura Wallace, the keynote speaker, gave a dynamic address on the next generation.(Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)

Posey, away from the stage, spoke briefly about watching the situation surrounding the president, adding that he continues to pray for President Trump.

“I hope that he is being used as a tool by God. I have a long history of looking at glasses as half-full rather than half-empty,” Posey said.

Pastors from several Space Coast congregations led prayers on different topics. For some, the prayers are needed more than ever.

Rudolfo Peterkin, the pastor of The Seed Center Church in Melbourne, said the nation’s struggles, beyond its political divisions, remain deep, from mass shootings to mental illness and suicides involving youth.

“It’s really on my heart with people killing each other and gunning down innocent people. It shows you that there is another component to our problems,” Peterkin said.

He said the communities' ministries must continue to make efforts to reach residents, disciple them and turn them back to God.

Wallace gave a similar message from the stage, telling the audience to use their voices to declare positivity, while at the same time, not to be afraid to get involved to root out the bad they see in area communities.